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Books I Read In...

Books I Read in September

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Can you believe September is already over?! I can’t. For me, it was a month of new beginnings, new adventures… and reading! I’m not sure if I’ve ever read as much in September before, which is testament to all the time I seem to have on my hands now, as well as feeling happier than I ever have before. I’ve developed my reading tastes so much in the last few months, and this has renewed my passion for reading in the best way possible. It’s lovely!

The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan

The first book I read in September was The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan. I found my copy in Waterstones for £1, which was a real bargain and I could remember reading Rebecca’s review of it years ago, so of course I couldn’t resist buying it! I read it within a few days of getting it, and thought it was cute and sweet, but was a little confusing in places.

Through alphabetical dictionary definitions, it documents a couple’s romance, but the confusion came because, due it being in alphabetical order, their story is told non-chronologically. This meant that one moment you could be reading a happy scene, and the next a sad one. Then, to add more confusion, the words weren’t particularly easy to understand, so it was hard to see how they tied into the story.

That being said, though, I did enjoy The Lover’s Dictionary and I can see myself reading it again sometime in the future because it was a very quick, easy book to read.

Carmilla by J. Sheridan le Fanu

I decided to read Carmilla in September because I’m planning on reading Dracula by Bram Stoker in October, and Bram Stoker is said to have taken inspiration for his story from le Fanu’s. I first bought it after watching a video that Ron Lit made discussing the book, and I’m glad that I’ve finally read it.

Carmilla was published in 1871, 26 years before Dracula was published. The most surprising thing about it, then, is the undertones of lesbian romance running throughout between the main character, Laura, and the eponymous Carmilla. This was particularly interesting to read about due to the rigid sexual views of Victorian society and how le Fanu paints Carmilla as unearthly and villainous to get away with this.

Carmilla isn’t the greatest piece of literature I’ve read, but one that I think is an important part of the canon and it has intrigued me enough to want to read more of le Fanu’s works in the future. There’s also a webseries on YouTube based on Carmilla, so I’m going to have a watch of it sometime soon!

The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

An important feminist text, I couldn’t avoid reading The Yellow Wall-Paper for much longer, so September was finally the month that I read it in. This edition, part of Penguin’s Little Black Classics, has two other short stories alongside The Yellow Wall-Paper, but I found all three stories quite mediocre and the last two, in particular, I have mostly forgotten.

The Yellow Wall-Paper looks at women’s physical and mental health and they were they were treated in the 19th Century if unwell. It’s creepy and haunting, but the last few moments in the short story also seem empowering.

I’d like to revisit The Yellow Wall-Paper in the future, but for now I’m left feeling a little indifferent to it.

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

I purchased The Interestings back in the summer and have been patiently waiting for the right time to read it. I took my time with it which allowed me to immerse myself completely in the story and I ended up suitably impressed.

The Interestings follows a group of teenagers at a summer camp in America where they pledge to be interesting for the rest of their lives, and then progresses as they grow older, get married, start working and have families. Meg Wolitzer is an incredibly talented writer, who has great literary merit, and I was sucked right into The Interestings. 

I did have a few problems with it: often the chapters were very long and so it was rather laborious to get through when I was reading it at the end of the day and, in turn, this made it harder to get into; and I couldn’t warm to the character of Jonah. There were only a few chapters that followed him around that I liked and I found myself skipping through some of his parts because I wasn’t interested enough in him. I much preferred the other characters, but I also thought his narrative allowed for some important things to be discussed, such as his sexuality and AIDS.

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf is one of my favourite books of all time, so you’d expect a book like The Hours, that is based off of Mrs Dalloway and Virginia Woolf’s life when she was writing it, would be very loved by me, right? WRONG. I couldn’t even finish The Hours.

The thing I immediately disliked about The Hours was its writing style. Mrs Dalloway was written so fluently in its stream of consciousness style that Michael Cunningham’s blunt way of writing didn’t feel right. I couldn’t connect to the characters and it was painful to read. There was no way I could continue to the end with it.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I included Frankenstein because it was my hope that I would have finished reading it by the end of the month, but I’m only halfway through at the time of writing this, so I’ll talk about it fully at the end of October.

So far, though, I’m enjoying it and think Mary Shelley is a wonderful storyteller. Writing wise, I don’t think it’s the best thing ever written, but based on the story it’s obvious why it’s one of the most popular books ever written.


So those were the books I read in September! I’m really excited to get reading in October, mainly because I’ve picked out some amazing Victorian Literature to read… more on that tomorrow!

What did you read in September? Let me know the best and worst book you read in the comments!

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Top Ten Tuesday

5 Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don’t Get | Top Ten Tuesday

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I haven’t participated in the Top Ten Tuesday feature, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, for a very long time, but I thought I’d start doing it again weekly because I love reading everyone’s posts.

This week the theme is: “Ten Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don’t Get”. I haven’t chosen ten because usually I like most of the characters I read about, so here are just a few:

Severus Snape – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling 

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why anyone could like Snape. I must admit, I did see the appeal once I’d finished Deathly Hallows, but I don’t think a sudden spark of romance in the plot line can excuse his awful, abusive behaviour. He’s mean to Harry throughout his years at Hogwarts and constantly puts Hermione down, calling her an “insufferable know-it-all.” Is knowledge really something to be ashamed of?

Snape is never going to be a good person in my eyes.

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Heathcliff – Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Don’t even get me started on Heathcliff. He’s another character that is abusive – physically and mentally – and is romanticised way too often, thanks to adaptations portraying him as dark and brooding. His treatment of Cathy Linton, Hareton and Isabella was disgusting and how anyone could love him after that is crazy.

He deserves Catherine Earnshaw, in my opinion. They can run madly around the Moors together, as long as they’re nowhere near me.

Tiny Cooper – Hold Me Closer by David Levithan

I did like Tiny Cooper in David Levithan and John Green’s Will Grayson, Will Grayson but I just felt annoyed when I read the spin-off, Hold Me Closer. It seemed too over-the-top and unnecessary. I was not impressed!

Tiny Cooper is okay in short bursts, but a whole book? Never again.

Cinder – Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I enjoyed Cinder when I read it, but I’ve never been able to get past the first two books. I think this is because the characters didn’t steal my heart from me in a way that made me want to read on, so I’ve never persevered. It doesn’t matter how much action is going on, if I don’t like the characters then I’m not going to want to continue.

Lola and Cricket – Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

I feel so bad about this choice because I’m a huge fan of Stephanie Perkins’s books, but Lola and the Boy Next Door fell a bit flat for me. I loved her first book, Anna and the French Kiss, so much but when it came to Lola, I felt as if something was missing. I’d still recommend it because Stephanie writes fantastically, but beware that the characters aren’t everything you could hope for.

What characters have you thinking everyone else is crazy for loving them? Are there any characters on my list that you love? Leave some love in the comments to let me know!

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YA Starter Kit

So you may be new to reading YA, or just looking for some awesome book recommendations… Today I’m going to help you add LOTS and LOTS of books to your TBR piles!

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Undone by Cat Clarke will give you ALL THE FEELS. It made me cry so much and I loved every single second of reading it. It’s a must have on your shelf because it has LGBT themes, deals with grief and loss, and also has a brilliant plot!

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is a favourite YA book of mine because I read it right when I was getting serious about reading YA. It’s about werewolves which may seem cheesy after Twilight but it’s such a refreshing urban fantasy novel that you can become invested in easily.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor has SO many fans. I still haven’t read the second or third books in the trilogy, but I really enjoyed the first instalment when I read it a few years ago. It’s completely unpredictable so it’s a very exciting reading experience!

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson is one of my favourite books of 2015 so far and is about imitations of the Jack the Ripper murders happening in London. Rory, the main character, is American and starts at a boarding school in London just as the murders start to happen. I LOVE this series a lot and can’t stop recommending it! SO, SO fantastic!

Trouble by Non Pratt is about teenage pregnancy and it’s written perfectly. I enjoyed it so much and can’t wait to read Non’s next book, Remix, as I loved Trouble so much.

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We Were Liars….It really is best to lie about this book because the least you know about it the better! It took the book world by storm last year, and I still can’t believe the shock ending! I really didn’t expect it at all.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is one of my all-time favourite books and perfect for people who love sites like Tumblr and are involved in Internet culture. It’s about a girl called Cath who, alongside her twin sister, is starting college. Cath writes fan fiction on a book series very similar to Harry Potter!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is a favourite fantasy book of mine and centres around Celaena Sardothien, an assassin who is chosen by the prince to enter a competition to become the King’s Assassin. READ IT, READ IT, READ IT!

Have a Little Faith by Candy Harper is hilarious and is a relatively short book too! It’s very true to a British teenager’s life and I adored it.

Every Day by David Levithan tells the story of A, a person who wakes up in a different body each day but, one day, A finds that there’s someone they just can’t let go of. It’s unique and David Levithan writes so beautifully.

Which books would you add to my list? Have you read any of these?

Book Review Uncategorized

REVIEW: My True Love Gave to Me by Stephanie Perkins

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I was incredibly excited when a copy of My True Love Gave to Me popped through my door. Firstly because the cover that greets you is beautiful and secondly due to the amazing authors whose short stories are included.

Edited by Stephanie Perkins (author of Anna and the French Kiss), My True Love Gave to Me is a festive-themed anthology, featuring short stories written by authors such as Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor and David Levithan. Each story is uniquely tailored to the author’s individual style so whilst they may not be writing in their usual style, their original stamp is still evident.

The stories all fit well together and stood out on their own. I think there’s a distinct lack of Christmas novels, and what sets My True Love Gave to Me apart is that it is a combination of lots of different traditions and customs. I loved reading about each one because each story offered something different.IMG_0353

My favourite story by far was Stephanie Perkins’, which I will be reading over and over again. It touched my heart! Other notable favourites include Jenny Han’s, Kelly Link’s and Ally Carter’s.

I think, though, that the story that wowed me the most was the one written by Laini Taylor because it was so different to everything else in the anthology. Taylor created a whole new world in just under 50 pages, which is an incredible talented thing to be able to do. I want more and more of her story!

I have no doubt that many people will buy My True Love Gave to Me solely based on the design. It has a cover I could marry, a beautiful built-in bookmark, and the most gorgeous endpapers I’ve ever seen. Each chapter header also has a different graphic – a brilliant inclusion!

My True Love Gave to Me really got me in the holiday spirit, and I especially loved the sharing of different customs – pagan, Jewish and Christian, to name a few. There’s something for everyone to enjoy!

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Top Ten Tuesday (3) – Top Ten Most Unique Books I’ve Read

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week, a new topic is chosen and people are allowed to make their own lists.

Despite really liking this week’s theme, I really struggled to find books to feature. There are so many ways to interpret the word ‘unique’ so the books I’ve chosen to feature are for many different reasons.

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I don’t think I’ll ever read such a unique and original book as Every Day. Its concept is phenomenal and I can’t think of a better person to write it as David Levithan.

More Than This by Patrick Ness is also a book with a breath-taking concept. I wish I could read it again for the first time because I can remember the feeling when I first read it, and how blown away I was by it.

I can’t write this list without talking about Harry Potter, can I? It screams ‘unique.’ The world, the way it is written, the dedication of the fandom. Will there ever really be a book quite like it again? I doubt it.

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This Star Won’t Go Out (I write this wearing my TSWGO t-shirt) is totally unique, not just because it’s non-fiction, but because of how it affected me. It’s such an emotional book and that’s what makes it so special. It’s real life and honest.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart has to be unique because THAT. ENDING. I’m still reeling, over a week after reading it. I don’t think I can risk saying any more, but, yes, I haven’t read a book quite like it before!

I love Vivian Versus the Apocalypse by Katie Coyle because it seems very straight-forward but so much happens. I can’t wait for the sequel!

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The Library of Unrequited Love is a very small book, less than 100 pages, but so much is discussed within so few pages. It’s also translated from French, and set in France, which I think adds to its originality.

I think The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer trilogy (or the two books is it so far) win the prize for the biggest change from a first book to its sequel. I can’t wait for the final book because I know there’s going to be a lot going on.

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Dreaming of Amelia is written in the form of exam papers, which I thought was such a great idea. All of Jaclyn Moriarty’s books are written in a quirky style – as letters, emails etc. – and I think this is my favourite of hers.

Magus of Stonewylde by Kit Berry is unique because of its setting. There will never be another Stonewylde for me. If I could live in any fictional world, I would live there; it is the place I imagine when I close my eyes, and the place I dream of when I sleep at night.

That’s my list! What would be on yours?

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My Top Ten Books of 2013

2013 must hereby be known as ‘The Year of Amazing Books.’ Seriously, in 2013 I read so many books that blew me away. I only started getting into YA in 2012 so I’ve been catching up on lots of the books I missed and there were so many releases of brilliant books too.

Below is a list of my top 10 books of 2013 and my reasons for them being my favourites. I haven’t included sequels or re-reads in my list.

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My favourite book of the year by far is Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I just can’t get over the total gorgeousness of this book and no matter how much I rave about it, I still can’t convey my thoughts properly. It’s now my all time favourite book and Rainbow Rowell is one of my favourite authors. I have so much love for this book! The Isobel Journal by Isobel Harrop is a book that took me by complete surprise. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did and I’m extremely jealous of Isobel Harrop’s artistry. This is a book that’s perfect if you’re in a bit of a reading slump or you want to try something a bit different. Then we have Every Day by David Levithan. I love books that make you question the world around you and give you something to think about and Every Day did just that. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi really blew me away. It’s another book I didn’t expect to like as much, but it’s one of my favourite dystopia novels now. I like how it’s written in a different style to typical novels and the sequel, Unravel Me, is even better. The final book is Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas which may be one of my favourite fantasy novels. The world Sarah J. Maas has created is so creative and unique.

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More Than This by Patrick Ness is another book that really makes you question the world around you. I didn’t know much about it beforehand but it ended up knocking me out with its awesomeness. Yes, 2013 was the year I finally read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling and I ended up loving it. I can definitely see what all the fuss is about. Then we have Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi which is a very different dystopia novel. It’s set a long way into the future so the whole world was different and it’s the type of novel I can’t help but love. Paper Towns by John Green really sealed the deal in me loving John Green’s books so much. After loving The Fault in Our Stars in 2012, I couldn’t not love Paper Towns. Finally we have The Host by Stephenie Meyer. After liking but not loving the Twilight series, this book was a really big surprise. My friend was hassling me to read it for ages and when I finally did, I fell in love with it. SO good!

So those were my favourite books of the year! There were so many to choose from and I’ve still missed so many out.

Let me know your favourite books of the year! Have you read any of the books I mentioned? What did you think of them?

Booktube

Bath Kids Lit Fest 2013

Last week it was Bath Children’s Literature Festival, or Bath Kids Lit Fest, and, being lucky enough to live very close to it, I spent most of the week there.

The first day that I attended was Sunday and, before any of my events, I met up with Georgia from Books and Writers JNR and we spent nearly 45 minutes in Waterstones Bath (I love their YA section!). I bought The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater whilst Georgia bought Shipwrecked by Siobhan Curham. It was so nice to meet her, as we’ve spoken for quite a while now on Twitter and she’s always come across as really lovely – and she was!

The first event I went to was one with Karen Saunders and Mark Lowery. I briefly met Karen back in June so it was really nice to speak to her again, and I loved hearing about Mark’s book as it sounded so funny. I’m really

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hoping I’ll be able to read it soon because I loved the parts he read out to us.

The other event in the evening was with David Levithan and I was really looking forward to it. I’d read Every Day a few weeks earlier in preparation and loved it. I met the lovely Charlie at the event who I’ve recently started talking to on Twitter after we both won copies of Every Day. Serendipity! It was really nice to hear David speak and read from Every Day. Afterwards, I got my books signed but accidently left Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares at home, which I was kicking myself for afterwards.

Monday night meant getting the chance to interview Holly Smale and Andy Robb before their event. Their event was the one I was looking forward to the most and I wasn’t disappointed at all. At the event, I also got to meet Jesse from Books 4 Teens and Katie who vlogs at kitkatscanread. I also got to hang out with Anya from An Awful Lot of Reading who is such a great person and we live very, very close to each other so the blogging vibes are obviously travelling our estate.

After a much needed rest on Tuesday and Wednesday, I got to interview Tanya Byrne on Thursday. I loved Heart-Shaped Bruise and she was such a lovely person too. I also got to meet Blondie at this event, who I’ve met again at another event too. She’s such an awesome person (you can see her talking at the end of the Tanya Byrne interview, with her brilliant hat)!

Friday meant an event with Malorie Blackman, which I went to with Becky. It was interesting to hear Malorie talk, especially as her plans for the UKYA conference had just been announced. The signing afterwards was so long and we were right at the back too. 🙁

Saturday was another crazy day. In the morning I went to a writing workshop with Siobhan Curham who was so lovely. I got to meet Sophie from A DayDreamer’s World which was nice. The workshop had a lot of stuff about blogging in it and I loved hearing about other peoples ideas for their own blogs. I really wish I had been to something like the workshop when I had just started blogging. After the workshop I stopped for lunch at Patisserie Valerie, which is heaven in a cake shop. I never thought I’d say it, but I couldn’t finish my cake. The next event was one with Alexia Casale and Janne Teller which I was very excited for. I got to meet Katerina briefly before the event when I was hanging around the production room upstairs. I really hope we’ll be able to meet again in the future now that she lives near, because she was so lovely, and I love talking to her on Twitter. I also met Marieke who is such an awesome person and it was so nice to meet her in person. I got to interview Alexia and, let me tell you, she is one of the loveliest people I have ever met and am ever likely to meet. I was blown away

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by her kindness, and she was just amazing to meet. You all need to meet her!

Sunday was such a hectic day, but it was definitely the best out of the whole festival. After getting off to a rough start when one of the attendants made me sit right at the back, even though I had a ticket and was at the venue first, and after nearly falling down a massive drop, things turned awesome. I got to meet Debbie, Faye and Daphne, and see Katie again for the event with Sarah J. Maas. I’m a massive fan of the Throne of Glass books so it was great to hear Sarah talk. The signing queue was massive and we were sadly right at the end, which meant a mad rush to the Patrick Ness event right after. Daphne, having already met Sarah previously, saved us seats at the venue of the Patrick Ness event, but the rest of us still had to manically run across lots of streets, which caused lots of squeals and mad dashing. It’s something that I will always remember, and I really hope I get to meet these girls in the future because they’re just the best. Despite turning up late, we finally made it to the Patrick Ness event which was awesome and quite funny/weird at times. It’s one of those events that’s memorable because it had some very odd moments. Daphne sprinted to the signing queue so we were right up the front and I even have a special signed copy of More Than This, because Patrick signed it in the wrong place. That’s my claim to fame!

Bath Kids Lit Fest was so much fun and, writing this post, I realise how much I miss it. I met some incredible people and experienced so many amazing things. I need to send a million thank yous to Sarah, who made things extra special. She’s one of the awesomest people I know, so go follow her on Twitter if you don’t already! You’re really missing out! I also need to thank my parents for lugging me around everywhere. Also, thanks to my mum who finally worked out how to use the camera. No, Mum, you’re pressing the off button, not the button to take a picture….

Thank you to EVERYONE who was involved in the festival! I’m really hoping to see more of you at the festival next year! 😀

Book Haul

Letterbox Love (19)

Letterbox Love

 

Letterbox Love is a UK based feature where book bloggers showcase the books that they received that week, be they e-books, paperbacks, hardbacks or any other format. It is hosted by Lynsey from Narratively Speaking.

This is a manic, packed haul today from last week which was Bath Kids Lit Fest. I’ve tried to put piles into some order, so I hope it’s clear!

Signed:

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Noughts and Crosses and Checkmate by Malorie Blackman – I still need to read Checkmate but I loved Noughts and Crosses. I read it when I was just starting to seriously get into YA and so it means quite a lot to me.

Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas- You can read my review of Crown of Midnight here.

The Knife of Never Letting Go and More Than This by Patrick Ness – I still need to read TKoNLG but I loved More Than This.

Noble Conflict by Malorie Blackman- Am hoping to read this one in the next few weeks.

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Geek Girl and Geek Girl: Model Misfit by Holly Smale – Two of my favourite books!

Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind by Andy Robb

Me, Suzy P by Karen Saunders

Finding Cherokee Brown by Siobhan Curham

Every Day by David Levithan

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan & John Green

Follow Me Down by Tanya Byrne

Bought:

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The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater – I LOVED The Raven Boys and am really looking forward to starting it.

Geekhood: Mission Improbable by Andy Robb – Can’t wait to read this one!

Swapped:

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Witch Crag by Kate Cann- UKYA! Big thanks to Anya for this!

She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick – More UKYA!

Gloss by Marilyn Kaye- I’ve been wanting to read this for AGES. Thank you to Georgia for this and the above! You’re fab!

The Day I Met Suzie by Chris Higgins- I’ve loved a lot of Chris Higgins’ books so am looking forward to this. Thank you, Sophie!

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Bringing the Summer by Julia Green – Thank you, Faye!

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch — Thank you to Debbie for these three!

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Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Marked, Betrayed, Chosen and Untamed by P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast — Thank you to Katie for all of these!

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World After by Susan Ee- Eee! Thank you, Sophie!

What did you get this week?